Job scammers in Manila illegally confine Ipoh man who was lured by high pay

IPOH – A Malaysian is reported to have been illegally confined in the Philippines for almost a year, believed to have been a victim of a job scam syndicate. 

His mother Vong Foong Thai, 61, a tailor, said her son Choong Chin Yee, 24, initially decided to go to Manila to work in the computing field due to the dearth of local job options.

“My son wanted to work there after he was offered a well-paying job, at around RM8,000, by a friend in the Philippines.

“Once he reached there, his passport was confiscated while his mobile phone was periodically checked to make sure that he did not divulge any information to his family members,” she said at a press conference here today.

Vong said her eldest child soon realised that he was tasked to fraudulently offer jobs to Malaysians with salaries of over RM9,000. 

“My son refused to do it and asked to be released. On July 27, I received a voicemail from a man threatening me via the WeChat app asking me to pay RM100,000 to have my son released,” she added.

Meanwhile, Perak MCA public service and complaints bureau chief Low Guo Nan said he will be contacting the Malaysian embassy in the Philippines to make arrangements for Choong’s safe return. – Bernama, October 27, 2022